Alcoholism treatment in native americans
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Abstract
The detrimental effects of alcohol misuse and dependence are well documented across all ethnicities. In particular, it is an important public health issue among Native Americans with their rates of preventable deaths (in large part alcohol related) at 133% higher than their European American counterparts. One of the problems of current addiction models is that they historically have been developed based on a predominantly white American male sample. Programs approach Native Americans’ alcohol abuse as the same as other ethnic groups, forgetting important cultural and historical factors unique to this population. I examined the correlates of alcoholism in this targeted population and addressed whether there are relevant cultural factors specific to this population. I then located and described select existing programs currently used for treatment of alcohol abuse. I compared the current treatment strategies and identified characteristics of the programs that may be most effective.